15 Cool Facts About Fridges You Might Not Know About

Alex Mcil author
Alex Mcil

Out of all the appliances in the household, the fridge would be the one I pick out of any others if push came to shove. It’s convenient, extends the life expectancy of our food & drinks and has saved us countless hours on daily grocery shopping.

Make no mistake, although this appliance is revolutionary, it’s still a box that’s designed to keep the contents inside cool. Unlike water filter vacuum cleaners new technology, fridges have not changed a lot in a while.

Not exactly the most exciting topic, which is why in this article we will be looking at some refrigerator fun facts that you might not have known about.

facts about refrigerators you didn't know about
Quick answer

Refrigerators have come a long way since they were introduced in the 18th century. This engineering miracle has seen so many improvements that even new refrigerators are completely different from the ones that were released only 10 years ago.

Let’s take a look at some weird facts:

  • The life span of a fridge in 1960 was about 20 years, compared to 5 years in 2000
  • Cleaning the coils and back of the fridge 3 times a year can reduce your unit’s energy consumption by up to 6%
  • Today’s refrigerators are 41% more efficient compared to those from 10 years ago
  • For every increase of 5°F above ambient temperature, your fridge uses 12.5% more energy
  • If your refrigerator door doesn’t close properly, you can apply vaseline around the door’s frame to keep it shut
  • Energy consumed by the total number of refrigerators in the United States is equivalent to the energy produced by 24 power plants
  • Type “241543903” into Google Images and tell me what you see? Weird right? The story behind it is pretty interesting
  • 10-12% of your property’s electrical bill comes from your fridge
  • 8 million refrigerators are sold in the US alone
  • A person on average opens the fridge door up to 23 times a day
  • The very first refrigerators (between 1800’s – 1920’s) used toxic gases such as Methyl Chloride (CH3CL), Ammonia (NH3), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) and Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)
  • The first refrigerators for home use were introduced in 1930
  • Since 1992, over 62 million tones of CO2 has been saved by Greenpeace since its introduction of Greenfreeze technology.
  • In 2011 the United States legalized the us of hydrocarbon gases like propane and isobutane to replace the more harmful F-gases (a 21 year battle)
  • In 1756 William Cullen gave the first documented public demonstration of artificial refrigeration. Although not credited for inventing the fridge, he did discover the basis for modern refrigeration.
Refrigerator facts

Author’s Final Thoughts

As interesting and fun as these facts are, there is an other concerning aspect to this – the quantity of fridges that are getting thrown out globally!

It is estimated that 53 million tonnes of electrical waste is thrown out every year, with that figure growing every year.

Not all that waste comes from fridges, but they are one of the largest contributors of the total weight sum. To put this into perspective, this equates to the weight of 350 cruise ships’ worth of electronics.

The solution may very well be running your existing fridge efficiently while maintaining it to extend its life expectancy before sending it to the skip.

References

https://www.marthastewart.com/1537798/refrigerator-history-explained

https://apnews.com/article/538e85baf5ee4af9ab9e3eb0056f3c53

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions
✓ Why is the appliance called refrigerator?

In Latin, the adjective "frigus" means cold, and its verb is "refrigerare". This is where the name refrigerator comes from which is also often shortened to fridge.

✓ What is the life expectancy of a fridge?

Although refrigerators now have a shorter life expectancy than previous generations, they still last a while. This of course depends on the manufacturer, but the average life expectancy is somewhere in the region of 14-15 years.

✓ What are the signs your fridge is dying?

There are many signs that your fridge is about to die. These include:
1. Food spoiling before expiration date.
2. Motor appears to be making more noise than usual.
3. It's always running. Fridges are meant to run about 45% of the time, not constantly.
4. Too much condensation. An indication your fridge is not cooling as it should.
5. Increased repair costs. There's a point when it's time to cut your losses and buy a new one.